


The back of my broken hand

by stopmopingstarthoping



Series: Time, Truth, Hearts [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood, M/M, Singing, World of Ruin, blasphemous Nyx
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-22 19:14:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16603919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stopmopingstarthoping/pseuds/stopmopingstarthoping
Summary: Nyx comes to terms with who Ignis has become after seven years of darkness.





	The back of my broken hand

Ignis’ phone vibrated, and he picked it up. The waitress nodded at him understandingly, and moved on. He answered smoothly, listening for a moment before responding.

“Yes...yes, of course.” Ignis moved the phone from his mouth for a brief moment. “Nyx, what time is it?”

Glancing at his watch, miraculously unsmashed after everything it had been through, Nyx responded, “Bout a quarter after six.” He waited patiently, distracted from his breakfast, and looked at Ignis until he finished.

“Two hours, give or take.” Ignis paused. “Yes, I have it.” He hung up and returned to his eggs, saying nothing further until Nyx intentionally touched his boot to Ignis’ own under the table. At that, Ignis’ head darted up.

“Terribly sorry, just not used to having someone else along on these things.” He gave Nyx a little self-deprecating smile, almost meeting his gaze but not quite.

“Coernix Station. Outbreak of daemons, more than their hunters can handle. I'm going to assume you're in for it.” Only the slightest questioning tone lifted the pitch of Ignis’ voice on the last few words.

Nyx sat quiet for a moment, stunned. Ignis was a hunter? On his own? Shiva's tits, he'd known Ignis was a tough motherfucker, but this was something else. There was a long pause, and then Nyx shoved more toast into his mouth. “Yeah, let's fuck ‘em up.”

The quiet laugh from Ignis made Nyx reach out to rest his fingers on the back of Ignis’ hand, just briefly, before shoveling in the rest of his breakfast and getting ready to go.

* * *

“Nyx!” Ignis screamed, pushing his voice to carry over the deafening roar of the gargoyles around them.  

“Three o'clock!”

Ignis felt wind rush by him then, and let out a wild laugh of relief, turning to fire off a series of rapidly-summoned polearms at the enemies.

The static-ripping noise of Nyx materializing was in front of him then, and Ignis turned out, to press their backs together. They breathed for a beat. Two. More enemies circled, growled.

“You’re fucking magnificent, Ignis.” With a forearm, Nyx wiped sweat, and blood that might be his, might not. They parted again to strike out, and from the corner of his eye Nyx saw a flash of that brilliant smile he loved. It grabbed at his heart, and then Ignis was crouching, teasing.

“Compliments later. Let’s finish this lot.” He spat, and Nyx wasn’t sure if it was from necessity or contempt, or both, but he laughed.

“On your mark, gorgeous.” Six, it felt good to call him that again.

* * *

They cleaned their weapons quietly at the haven, and Nyx finally asked.

“What happened to those beautiful daggers you used to use? I liked those.” Nyx’s last few words took on a mischievous drawl, and they both chuckled for a moment, remembering certain other uses to which Ignis had put those daggers, to both their delight.

With equal parts pride and humility, Ignis explained. “I have regained a lot, but proximity, I cannot do. I’ve changed my style to focus on ranged attacks. You must have noticed my lack of close fighting.”

“I did. We make a good team, Ignis.” Nyx laid a quick kiss on Ignis’ lips, the feel of the thick scar splitting Ignis’ lip reminding him of everything Ignis had been through without him. “Hopefully you noticed a certain kukri-wielding Glaive getting in close. I always want you to notice me.”

“You don't have to show off for me to notice you, love.” The easy tone and the term of endearment were palpable comforts, and Nyx lay his head in Ignis’ lap. Delicate fingers sought his hair, and Nyx sighed up into the night. The glow of the haven's runes lit Ignis’ unseeing eye, and Nyx stared up at him, transfixed. The blue haze reflected off the clouded hues, still green, but rendered opaque by - whatever the hell it was he'd been put through. Nyx still didn't know all the details.

Nyx burrowed his head sideways into Ignis’ crossed legs. “Go to sleep, hey, babe? More of the same shit tomorrow, I assume?”

Ignis nodded silently. “I will. When I can.” He continued to run light fingers over Nyx's forehead and temples, repetitive and soothing, until his breathing grew deep and even.

* * *

Blood, deep crimson. Nyx pulled Ignis up and felt how it wet the back of Ignis' black shirt, tacking it to his body. It smelled like iron on his hands. _Shit shit shit_ , there was just so _much_ of it. Nyx panicked, his hands shaking as he dug for an elixir. As he cracked it over Ignis, Nyx watched his lithe body flinch and twist. Ignis coughed wetly and scowled.

“Don't do that.” Ignis’ voice was weak, but vaguely annoyed.

“Do what, save your fucking life?” Nyx gave a humorless laugh and scowled right back at Ignis, though he knew he couldn’t see it.

“I'm nowhere near that critical. You know we need to save those. In addition -” Ignis clenched a fist, then fanned out his fingers. Tingling green light spread between them both, only to flicker and sputter out as Ignis coughed again.  

He gave Nyx the most sardonic smile he could in his weakened state. “I've had so very much worse than this - don't tell me that you haven't.”

Seven years. Yeah, Nyx had been worse off than this. But damn it, that didn’t mean he wanted to - didn’t mean he _could_ \- see Ignis like this and not do something about it; anything in his power. The limits of which he was currently cursing.

Ignis hoisted himself up to his elbows and swatted at where he thought Nyx was; he was annoyingly accurate, and Nyx had to dodge. “I mean it. The hunters - this whole operation, such as it is, is running on a shoestring. Held together with chewing gum and paper clips. Whatever insipid analogy you like.” Ignis coughed again, dragged himself to his feet, and scowled more deeply. “You can’t fly off the handle and get careless. Wasteful.”

Nyx let out a noise of exasperation. “It wasn’t - you needed it, Ignis.”

“Given the past seven years, I believe I know exactly when I’ve reached the point for medical assistance. And I’d appreciate you not overruling me. As I mentioned. I’m sure you’ve got the same sense.”

Nyx nodded, slowly. He did - he’d pushed his body all the way plenty of times, right up to that line where he could almost feel himself drifting away, where it would be easier to let go of the last string connecting him to the dirt and the inevitable grinding pain of whatever battle injuries he’d sustained than to find his way back. Once you knew where the line was, and had revisited it multiple times without crossing it, it was pretty easy to find it again, to know how far the distance was from here to there.

They passed the rest of the walk back to the broken-down motel in silence.

Nyx had barely gotten his boots off, and Ignis was already stripping off his shirt. “I’ll be back; I’m going to clean my clothes. And weapons.”

“Six, Ignis, at least let me -”

Ignis flinched out of his grasp, and his attempt to train a stare on Nyx was painful in its near miss.

“Is that what this is about? Do you think I’m incapable?”

Nyx’s jaw dropped a little as Ignis stormed, or attempted creakily to storm, from the room.

Regaining his composure, Nyx strode after him, watching how Ignis’ steps slowed upon hearing Nyx behind him. Ignis stopped, and his shoulders slumped and head tipped back in a sigh that was more resigned than it was irritated.

“Ignis, I -” Nyx’s voice cracked, and he reached for Ignis’ elbow, just grazing it with his fingertips. “It’s not that. I just -”

Ignis set down his sodden bundle and turned, stepping close. “Just what?” The words were a question, but the tone was flat.

“I can’t lose you again.” The words left Nyx painfully, forcing their way out of his gut.

The tension left Ignis’ body. “Oh, love.” Ignis’ gloves had joined his shirt on the floor, and soft fingers traced past Nyx’s temple; he closed his eyes in their wake. A soft kiss followed, calming the furious pace of Nyx’s heartbeat.

A curious, resigned expression crossed Ignis’ face, as he wove his fingers through Nyx’s, tracing the dirt and blood that lined his fingernails. “But you will, though.”

Nyx grabbed Ignis’ fingers with more force and narrowed his eyes. “What the hell? What are you talking about? This another one of those bullshit doomsayings from the asshole deities that got us into all this in the first place?”

A bitter laugh, then. “No. It’s just that the odds are tremendously poor. You’ve also been fighting through darkness these past seven years. You’ve seen just as much as I have, I’ve no doubt.” A soft concern infused the last few words with gentleness, as he seemed to ponder Nyx’s path through the ruined world. He continued, slowly. “Now, tomorrow, five more years. Ten. A misplaced dagger, an errant bomb. Life is more uncertain now that it’s ever been, and that’s not saying very much.”

Nyx just repeated himself, more quietly this time. “I can't lose you again.”

Ignis laughed again, horribly. “Oh, you could. It's truly astounding how many terrible things you can live with if you're simply given no choice in the matter. But I hope you don’t, as well. I’d love nothing more than to be old with you.” He smiled, and Nyx squeezed his fingers, but it hurt, how hard all this had made him. His beautiful Ignis, who had once cried himself sick in his office over fourteen dead Glaives.

As if sensing the rip and bleed of Nyx’s raw edges, Ignis pulled him close, speaking quietly into his hair. “I love you. You know that. And there’s nothing I want more than to have you fighting at my side. Please, don’t make me choose between tactics and my heart. That’s never gone well, has it?’

Nyx’s answer was a bruising kiss, and when he felt Ignis smile against his lips, he pulled him to the shower to show him exactly how well he could attend to Ignis’ wishes. Nyx had always been better with action than with words anyway.

* * *

It was the Galahdian Day of Souls, and though he didn’t expect Ignis to know anything about it, and nobody had the resources to really do anything traditional, Nyx did take a few moments to sit down and intentionally go through some of the well-worn photos in his wallet. From his seat on the couch, in the tiny apartment Ignis had insisted he move into, Nyx looked at Ignis in the hall, grateful he was here in the flesh and no longer just in Nyx’s stack of photos.

He stood up and strolled into the kitchen to do the dishes, unconsciously singing an old tune lightly under his breath. It was sad but not a dirge, haunting and melodic.

The soft harmony from behind him made Nyx almost drop the dish he was holding. He faltered but kept singing, and listened as Ignis wound his beautiful baritone in and above the tune Nyx sang.

Tears sprang, unbidden, to the corners of Nyx’s eyes. This was not a song he’d ever heard in Lucis, apart from some of the tight-knit gatherings of immigrant families he’d attended.

He forced a laugh. “How in the hell do you know an old Galahdian folk tune, Ignis?”

Ignis couldn’t see the slight wetness to Nyx’s eyes, but he must have heard it in his song. He smoothed a hand over Nyx’s back, stepping around him in carefully measured paces to the coffee maker.

“There are a lot of hunters from all over. They fall, and the people who love them mourn. It comforts them to have their mourning observed in traditional ways. There was one woman - she loved this song, and she wanted to hear it, but she couldn’t get through it without weeping.”

“So you learned it.”

Ignis inclined his head, slightly, humming as he put the supplies away. His voice caught a little as Nyx slid hands around his waist and bowed his head into carefully coiffed strands.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for day 5 of Ignyx Week 2018, prompt "crimson." This fic has an [entire playlist on Spotify ](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6BI3SpGFxrfnH5Q0wQLZb3) if you're interested.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Come chat with me about these wonderful boys on Tumblr @stopmopingstarthoping or Twitter @stopmopingstart.


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